TUC calls on Iraqi government to pull troops out of oil union strike

TUC calls on Iraqi government to pull troops out of oil union strike

The TUC has called on the Iraqi Government to withdraw troops from the Basra oil fields immediately. A strike of oil workers began on Monday (4 June) and the TUC is asking the Iraqi Government not to use the troops, who arrived in the oil fields on Tuesday and surrounded the strike, to arrest strike leaders or fire on workers.

The strike - about wages, bonuses, health and safety, use of temporary workers and the future of the oil industry in Iraq - has suspended delivery of oil to Baghdad and the southern Governates of Iraq.
Responding to urgent appeals for solidarity from the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, which called the strike, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
'Military intervention is not the way to resolve industrial disputes. This strike began only after weeks of negotiation had failed to produce a deal, but negotiation is the only way to end the strike peacefully.'

As of Tuesday night, negotiations had recommenced, and workers had returned temporarily to work, but the troops remain in place.
Full details of the strike are on the TUC website:

http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-13358-f0.cfm
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Press release (300 words) issued 6 Jun 2007